Kvitova withdraws from WTA Championships with viral illness

Shockingly, defending champion Petra Kvitova has pulled out of the WTA Championships in Istanbul, citing viral illness. After her yesterday's loss to Agnieszka Radwanska, accompanied by 41 unforced errors, tear-eyed Kvitova mentioned extreme nervousness that froze her fingers and legs, but there were no hints about sickness.

First alternate Samantha Stosur will replace Kvitova in the White Group. She will have time to adjust to the situation, as no matches are on schedule for her today. On Thursday she is set to play Sara Errani, and then her remaining round-robin match will be against Maria Sharapova.

Update: Thanks to the tweets of Beyond the Baseline, I'm learning that Kvitova said she misinterpreted her body shaking with nerves. Interestingly, she still plans to play an exhibition match with Maria Sharapova in Prague and lead the Czech Republic in their Fed Cup title defense against Serbia next month in the city. (source: Tennis.com, photo: Moo's Tennis Blog)